BankAmerica Corp. has tapped four California banking veterans to oversee its branch network and wealth management programs in the southern half of the state.
The executives will report to Liam E. McGee, who was named president of the banking company's Southern California region in May, soon after BankAmerica agreed to merge with NationsBank Corp.
"These are strong managers with a tradition and history of producing great results," Mr. McGee said in an interview Monday.
Three women will manage the more than 600 BankAmerica offices south of Santa Barbara. Barbara Robinson, an executive vice president with 25 years at BankAmerica, is to supervise more than 200 branches in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
Senior vice president Leigh Cross, who joined the company in 1971, will oversee 200 branches in Imperial, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Riverside counties.
And Leticia Aguilar, a senior vice president who has managed branches in ethnic neighborhoods of Los Angeles and Orange counties, is to manage 200 supermarket branches. She has worked at the company for 26 years.
BankAmerica's services for high-net-worth customers in Southern California are to be overseen by senior vice president Kim P. Burdick.
Mr. Burdick, who began his banking career in 1980 at Security Pacific Corp. (which was acquired by BankAmerica in 1992), is to supervise 400 financial relationship managers. He had been a regional financial relationship manager.
The appointments came amid criticism from local government officials and community activists who said the post-merger BankAmerica was replacing local managers with bankers from Charlotte, N.C., where it is now based.
